


You'll Be Alright, No One Can Hurt You Now

by Fandom_Trash_13



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Penelope being a soft ex, so many feelings especially in chapter 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-01-04 20:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21203774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash_13/pseuds/Fandom_Trash_13
Summary: Penelope is the only person who can help Josie feel better after being buried alive on her 16th birthday. And then the only one who can stop her panicking after she has a nightmare of being stuck in the ground. Then the only one who can calm her down after losing her biological mother after wishing to meet her for so long. Simply Penelope is the only one who can help Josie feel safe.Rewrite to the end of 1x06 and then the day after the hellish events of the twins 16th birthday with so much more Posie.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars

"So are you gonna be okay tonight, all things considered?" MG asks after walking Josie back to her and Lizzie's room.

"I have no idea but thank you for rescuing me." Josie replies with a small smile.

"Well you know where to find me if you need me." MG says hugging Josie before walking away in the direction of his room.

"I'm glad you're okay. And remember my room is closer than MG's if you need anything." Hope says hugging Josie.

"I wouldn't be alive if not for the necklace you gave me so thank you." Josie says hugging Hope a little tighter before letting go. Hope gives Josie a soft smile before leaving too.

"And what about me?" Penelope chimes in from behind Josie.

Josie ignores Penelope, she doesn't even turn to look at her, and just goes straight into her room. She tries to close the door behind her but Penelope is quick enough to stop it from being slammed in her face.

"You know, MG and Hope might believe you when you say you're okay. But I know you better than that. Penelope says softly to Josie who still has her back turned.

"Why do you care?" Josie asks coldly.

"Why wouldn't I? You were buried alive!"

"And you helped save me. Thanks, now leave. I'd rather be alone right now."

"You've always been a terrible liar Jojo." 

"If I say I'm fine then I'm fine!"

"Josie, I just want to help."

"There's nothing you can do!" Josie yells, getting more and more frustrated with Penelope every time she speaks.

"Okay. Well, you know where to find me if you want to talk about it." Penelope says turning to walk out.

When she gets to the door she hears Josie let out a shaky breathe. She decides to ask one last time if Josie wants to talk about what happened and, much to her surprise, Josie doesn't yell at her. 

"I got buried alive by a zombie that just happened to be my biological mother. How do I even begin talking about that." She asks in a weak voice, too exhausted to try and stay mad. 

"Just say anything. I'll understand." Penelope replies softly.

Penelope closes the door then goes to stand in front of Josie, who is trying to think of what to say but just can't. She quietly mumbles "I don't know." and Penelope doesn't miss her voice breaking.

Not knowing how else to comfort Josie, she wraps in a protective hug she remembers always use to make Josie feel safe if she was having a bad day. Josie's head drops and she buries her face in the crook of Penelope's neck.

Penelope gently plays with Josie's hair, remembering that always helps calm her down quickly. It's just a little difficult not to get her fingers caught in knots or clumps of mud. Somehow she succeeds in not getting her fingers caught, and also in calming Josie down. 

She pulls back but keeps her hands resting on the back of Josie's neck and on her waist. Penelope moves her hand from the back of Josie's neck to her cheek to wipe a few tears away, and once again Josie surprises her by leaning into her touch. 

Penelope uses her other hand to wipe some dirt off Josie's face before smiling a little and saying "You really need a shower." in an attempt to cheer Josie up. She mentally high fives herself when Josie smiles too.

Josie admits she doesn't want to be alone just yet so Penelope says she'll wait outside the shower for her. But first, she just sits on Josie's bed as Josie gathers all the stuff she needs for a shower.

Penelope silently walks beside Josie through the empty hallways of the school. When they get to the showers she sits on the bench on the opposite side of the room from the door while Josie goes for a shower.

For the first 5 minutes Penelope kills time by magically drawing things in the air. Basic animals, random shapes. Literally whatever she can thinks of. 

As she's in the middle of drawing a bird, she hears a quiet sniff from the shower Josie is in. So, she asks if Josie is okay. A stupid question all things considered but she asks anyways.

"Moving too much really hurts." Josie replies, her voice weak from dirt choking her.

Penelope thinks for a moment before asking a question she expects the answer to to be no. "Do you want some help?"

Josie is quiet for a moment before simply saying "Please."

Penelope removes her drawings from the air and locks the door to the showers before starting to get her dress of. She doesn't even bother to fold it, she just throws it, along with her underwear, onto the bench she was sitting on.

She goes into the shower and the first thing she sees is cuts and scratches littering the top half Josie's back. Without saying anything she gets the shampoo from the small shelf and begins helping Josie with her hair.

She gently works her way through all the knots and thoroughly washes where clumps of mud were stuck. All the while having to be careful not to touch the cut on Josie's temple. Penelope wants to ask how Josie has so many injuries but she knows Josie will talk when she's ready.

Once Penelope is finished with Josie's hair she gets the sponge and starts cleaning Josie's cuts. As she's working on the cut on Josie's head she notices Josie start to tear up. She apologizes, thinking she wasn't being gentle enough. 

"No, it's not you." Josie says quietly.

Penelope really wants to ask what happened earlier that night, but decides not to push it. Especially since Josie is choosing to trust her of all people after the horrible night she's had.

After a moment Josie begins talking again. "I've always wished I had a chance to meet my biological mother. Then I finally do and she buries me alive."

"Josie, that wasn't her and you know it." Penelope says softly.

"But-" 

"No, don't try to argue with me on this. You know I'm right."

When Josie doesn't respond she worries she was a little too harsh, but finally when Josie just nods she knows she said the right thing. And that's the last that's said during the shower other than Penelope asking if she's being too rough cleaning Josie's injuries.

When they're done Penelope uses a spell to dry them both quickly, then uses another spell to quickly clean her dress. She helps Josie with her bra that Josie almost wants to magically throw it off because it hurts one of the cuts just beneath her shoulder blade. Penelope assumes she got dragged over a sharp stone or something for that cut to happen.

Penelope removes the locking spell she put on the door and peeks out, there's nobody waiting outside and no sign of anyone trying to get in. Which thankfully means no questions from nosy people about what they were up to.

Once they get out the showers Josie turns to head back to her and Lizzie's room. But before she can very far Penelope stops her.

"Do you really want to put up with Lizzie tonight?" She asks.

Josie gives her a confused look. After being buried alive and almost dying, Josie wouldn't mind spending time with Lizzie.

"She'll probably spend the whole night talking about the party she probably didn't even notice you were missing from. I get that you love her, but you need rest. Not your self-absorbed sister." Penelope continues to answer Josie's questioning look.

Penelope can see Josie thinking and after a moment Josie asks "Where will I sleep instead?"

"My room." Penelope answers a little too quickly, "If you're okay with that of course." she says a bit more normal.

Again Penelope can see Josie thinking and she starts picking at a thread on her dress as she waits.

"Only if you're okay with it." Josie says so quietly Penelope almost didn't hear her.

"I wouldn't offer if I had a problem with it."

Josie is still hesitant but too tired to think about it anymore. Penelope starts walking towards her own room and after a second Josie follows. They walk in silence and Penelope checks behind her a couple times to make sure Josie is still there. 

Once they get inside Penelope's room Josie realizes she doesn't have any pj's for the night. She tells Penelope she's going to grab some from her room then she'll be back. Penelope stops her, confusing Josie for the 2nd time that night. 

Penelope goes over to her closet and digs around a little before pulling out one of Josie's over sized hoodies that she 'forgot' to give back. She hands it to Josie with a small smile before turning to get changed herself. 

Penelope starts digging around in her closet looking for something to wear when she hears Josie cringe in pain. Without thinking she walks over and lightly runs her fingers over the cuts and scratches covering Josie's back. Josie tries to ignore how Penelope's touch instantly makes her forget about the pain she's in.

"Sit on the bed, I've got an idea." Penelope says gently nudging Josie towards the bed.

Josie does as Penelope says while Penelope starts looking through all her notebooks. After a minute she finds the one she's looking for and sits behind Josie. Josie asks what she's doing and Penelope simply answers with "Do you trust me?" Josie simply nods in response. She tries to look at Penelope's notebook but it's just out of sight.

Josie flinches when Penelope puts her hands on Josie's back. Penelope mumbles a sorry, the last thing she wants is to cause Josie more pain.

"It's okay, your hands are just cold." Josie laughs quietly.

Penelope smiles then goes back to what she was doing. She takes one last look at her notebook before beginning to whisper something Josie can't quite hear, but she assumes it's a spell.

Nothing happens and Josie is about to ask Penelope what she's trying to do, but before she can she notices the pain all over her torso starting to disappear. Josie sighs with relief when the pain dulls down a bit but Penelope doesn't stop there

Josie looks at her arm, lightly tracing the outline of the finger shaped bruises. At first it looks like they've healed a little bit but Josie just ignores it thinking she's just tired. But then the bruises start fading more, and even though she can't see them she can feel the cuts on her back healing. It takes her another minute to realize Penelope somehow knows a healing spell, and even more surprisingly she's powerful enough to do it so well.

It only takes about 5 minutes for Penelope to fully heal all of Josie's wounds and Josie immediately sighs with relief . Once Penelope is done she throws her notebook onto the chair near her bed before moving to sit in front of Josie.

"That feel better?" Penelope ask checking Josie's arm to see if the bruises are completely gone.

"Much. Thank you." Josie says putting her hoodie on. 

Penelope gets off the bed and finally goes to get changed herself, opting for a simple over sized t-shirt and shots. She can tell Josie isn't in the mood for conversation and she would by lying if she said she wasn't tired. It's not her fault she had to fight off a bunch of zombies.

Once changed herself, Penelope sits back on the bed behind Josie. She grabs the hairbrush and gently starts brushing Josie's hair. Josie flinches a little at first after not noticing Penelope moving around after being stuck in her thoughts.

Once Penelope is done with Josie's hair, she tries to gently throw her hairbrush back onto the table. But it bounces off, making Josie laugh. She doesn't understand why Penelope still does that with things, she usually fails.

Penelope ignores her fail and turns back to Josie who is sitting fiddling with the sleeves on her hoodie. Penelope gently puts her hand on Josie's back to get her attention.

"How you feeling?" She asks, already knowing the answer probably won't be good.

Josie thinks for a moment before just shrugging sightly, Penelope wishes there was some way should could help. She can see the fear in Josie's eyes, there's very few things Josie hates more than feeling helpless.

"Do you wanna try to sleep?" She asks quietly.

Josie simply nods in response. Penelope moves to lie down, adjusting her pillows slightly so it's comfier for Josie. 

Josie lies with her head on Penelope's chest and her arm draped over Penelope stomach. Penelope wraps her arm around Josie's waist, holding her close and trying to help her feel as safe as possible.

With a simple flick of her wrist Penelope turns the lights off before resting her hand on top of Josie's and tracing light patterns. Josie tenses up at the immediate darkness, Penelope thinks it's reminding her too much of being stuck underground.

Quickly Penelope has an idea and mumbles "Preitori Speculo", seconds later the room is no longer dark. Instead it's lit by a dull blue light coming from the stars covering the ceiling. She asks Josie if that helps and her answer is an almost inaudible "Yes." 

Josie cuddles impossibly closer to Penelope, but she's still a little tense. So Penelope has one last idea to help her calm down. Sing. Penelope always use to calm Josie down after a nightmare by singing. 

She decides to go with Once In A Lifetime by Landon Austin. Not long after she starts singing she feels Josie shifting a little. Assuming she's just getting comfortable, Penelope doesn't take her eyes off the star ceiling. 

Once she's done singing she looks to see if Josie is asleep. Instead she is met with Josie watching her with a small smile. She did always love watching Penelope sing. 

Josie places a soft kiss to the corner of Penelope's mouth before lying down with her head on Penelope's shoulder to sleep properly. Leaving Penelope stunned and trying to ignore her own feelings for the now and focus on the scared girl clinging to her as if her life depends on it.


	2. Chapter 2

After Josie fell asleep, Penelope stayed up a little longer wanting to make sure Josie is definitely asleep. She didn't really want to fall asleep at all just in case Josie woke back up, but sleep eventually won.

Not for long though. She's woken up by Josie tossing around and mumbling in her sleep. Penelope takes a second to wake up and glances at her clock, the bright red numbers reading 4:15am. 

Penelope doesn't get the chance to think of how to calm Josie down without waking her up before Josie grabs her arm and begins siphoning. Thinking fast late at night is not something Penelope is good at, but she has to now.

She wants to find a way to wake Josie up gently. But how do you do that when there's a risk of them burning down half the building?

First Penelope thinks to wake Josie up by gently shaking her shoulder, but there's no way that would work. Not with the way she's tossing around. 

Then something catches Penelope's attention. She remembers Josie always liked to wrapped in a blanket with Penelope after a nightmare. Tonight it almost looks like she can't decide between kicking the blanket off or using it for security. 

Penelope wonders why Josie would be trying to kick the blanket off. Then it clicks.

It's probably making her feel trapped, almost like she's back underground.

Without another thought Penelope takes the blanket away. Or tries to. She has to wrestle Josie, who is surprisingly strong while asleep, a little for it. 

It takes a few seconds but Josie calms down after having the blanket taken away. But her breathing is still rapid, she's still sweating slightly and mumbling something Penelope can't quite understand.

Once again Penelope tries to gently shake Josie awake, this time with success. 

Josie bolts upright, the only sound filling the room being her heavy panicked breathing. She begins panicking more when she realizes she isn't in her own room. 

Penelope gently places her hand on Josie's back to get her attention. Josie turns around almost as quick as vampire speed and gets ready to fire a spell at the unknown person. 

But before she can do something she'll regret, she recognizes the emerald eyes that are lit by the dull star spell still covering the ceiling. 

Josie looks around the room and realizes she's in Penelope's dorm. She turns to Penelope and mumbles a tired but sincere "Sorry."

Penelope assures her she has nothing to worry about before asking how she feels. Josie simply simply shrugs in response, not really sure how she feels after everything. 

The only thing she knows for sure is that she is relieved to be alive. 

Knowing Josie isn't ready to say more just yet, Penelope simply shifts a little closer to her and wraps the blanket around them both. But mostly around Josie. It isn't exactly the warmest night and the heater in her dorm is broken thanks to a stray spell. That, just to be clear, was most definitely not her fault.

Josie rests her head on Penelope's shoulder and clings onto her arm, feeling most safe with the raven haired witch. Penelope just quietly reassures Josie that she's safe and that nothing will hurt her for as long as Penelope is around. 

Neither of them know how long they stay like that for, but after a while Josie sighs deeply. Finally feeling much calmer.

But Penelope knows her too well. She can tell Josie is still struggling, which is completely understandable. Nobody would be okay after being buried alive by a zombie version of their biological mother, who also happened to have been murdered before giving birth to them.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Penelope asks. She expects the answer to be no, Josie never usually wanted to talk about her nightmares. 

But this time, much to Penelope's surprise, Josie quietly asks "How?"

"Why don't you start by telling my what actually happened earlier?" Penelope suggests.

Josie sits up and is quiet for a moment as she considers what to say. while Penelope waits patiently admiring the star spell. 

She's surprised the star spell is still as bright as it is, usually it begins to dull slowly after she falls asleep and is usually gone by morning. Her magic must be getting stronger, which is something she is incredibly proud of. 

Penelope is brought out her thoughts by the sound of Josie sighing again. Then she begins explaining what the newest monster done.

"First she...it...charged at me. But i was quick enough to jump of the way." Josie says slowly, still struggling to find the right words. "But then it grabbed a stick and hit me." She unconsciously rubs her head where there was a cut, before Penelope healed it along with her other injuries. 

Penelope gently takes Josie's hand, attempting to comfort her. It isn't much, but Penelope feels Josie relax a little. 

"I don't know how long I was unconscious for," Josie stops to take a deep breath "But when I came to I was being dragged along by my right arm. I could feel my back being scratched and cut but I wasn't able to fight back." 

Penelope can see Josie struggling to find the right words and how upset she's getting. "You don't have to say anymore if you don't want to." She reassures her, gently squeezing Josie's hand.

"I know, but i think talking is helping. I'm just not sure how to explain everything." Josie says quietly.

"It's okay, take your time."

Josie stays quiet for another moment. Now more trying to remember what actually happened and not how her nightmare went.

"It stopped and just dropped me. I think it looked around, I guess to see if anyone was watching. Then it looked back to me and noticed I was somewhat awake, it hit me again. And that's all I remember until I woke up choking on dirt." 

Penelope wants to say something to try and comfort Josie, reassure her that she's safe now and that nothing like this will happen again. But she stays quiet because she can see there is something else Josie wants to say.

"Then after what seemed like an eternity of choking I felt the ground above me get lighter and the next thing I knew I was being pulled out. And the first thing I saw was... you." Josie finishes quietly.

Josie doesn't realize she's started crying until Penelope wipes her tears. Penelope is about to move her hand away from Josie's cheek, when Josie puts her hand over Penelope's to stop her. Josie closes her eyes and leans into Penelope's touch, Penelope just smiles softly and strokes her thumb over Josie's cheek.

"I don't know how I feel most safe with you right now, but thank you for saving me tonight. And letting me stay here. Just thank you, for everything." Josie says, realizing she hasn't properly said thank you yet.

"You never have to thank me for it. You being safe is all I care about."

Before either of them get to say anything else, Josie's head falls back onto Penelope's shoulder as she yawns. Penelope can't help but smile, while also trying to ignore how in love she is with Josie. 

To Penelope, every little thing she does is magic. And right now Penelope wants to focus on Josie, and make sure she really does feel safe after everything. But apparently something as simple as Josie leaning on her as she yawns reminds her of too much of her own feelings. 

Josie doesn't seem to have any plans of moving any time soon. Penelope begins playing with Josie's hair once again while wrapping the blanket more securely around her.

Penelope thinks Josie is just happy to feel safe after everything, but after a few minutes she hears Josie quietly snoring. Of course she fell asleep while in the most awkward position.

Penelope laughs quietly before looking around as best she can without waking Josie to try and find a way to lie back down. 

After some twisting in uncomfortable ways and very gently moving Josie, Penelope manages to lie them both back down comfortably. Penelope mentally does a victory dances, congratulating herself on not waking Joise up or falling out the bed or anything else disastrous. 

She looks back to the clock, seeing that they've only been awake for about 20 minutes. But a long 20 minutes. And now Penelope wants nothing more than to sleep, while also hoping Josie is tired enough that she'll be able to sleep the rest of the night. Thankfully they don't have to worry about any classes when they wake up since it's a Saturday, so Josie should be able to get all the rest she needs.

Penelope hugs Josie firmly, but hopefully not too tight. She hopes it'll help Josie feel safer in her sleep. Then finally allows sleep to overtake her once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay i wanted this out 3 days ago, post each chapter same day each month kinda thing. But that didn't work. But i am determined that the last chapter will be out by the end of the year!  
Also i know i use their names too much instead of replacing it with thing's like "the pouty pyromaniac". But I am working on it! Its just gonna take a little more practice!


	3. Chapter 3

Josie wakes up to the sound of loud cheering in the hallway, along with kids running around. She guesses it's a new vampire testing out his vamp speed.

Covering her head with the blanket and burying her face in the pillow, she attempts to fall back asleep. 

It's the weekend, she should get to sleep in, instead of being woken up by infuriatingly loud students.

She's about to fall back asleep when she suddenly remembers the previous nights events. Then it hits her that the familiar comforting scent of the pillow isn't from the amount of perfume Lizzie uses that sticks to everything in the room, but rather from Penelope.

Peeking her head over the blanket, Josie looks around remembering that she came back to Penelope's room the night before. The only difference, Penelope is nowhere to be found now. 

Assuming Penelope has probably just gone for breakfast or to the library, she decides to just curl up and attempt to go back to sleep.

As she shifts around something falls on her head and almost gives her a heart attack. Josie takes a moment to calm down before tipping the strange thing off her head.

She smiles as she instantly recognizes it. A small frog plush she got for Penelope while she was visiting Caroline in France. Of course the little frog came complete with a neck scarf and beret. 

Josie smiles wider as she remembers the name Penelope gave him. Monsieur Emile Francois Von Alexandre Dupuis The Third. Something simple would've done just fine. But one thing Josie learned quickly is that Penelope doesn't do anything small.

Holding the frog close, she curls up and attempts to fall back asleep for the third time. But once again, without any success. 

The door slams open making her bolt upright, still a little jumpy after everything. Before she gets a chance to register what just happened, she hears Penelope saying "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

Josie's eyes fully adjust to the morning light and she sees Penelope at the door with an apologetic smile and a tray of food. She relaxes and falls back into the pillows, still clutching the frog close. 

"Did I wake you up earlier when I left?" Penelope asks as she kicks the door shut. Again with a loud bang that makes Josie flinch.

"No. That new vamp and his friends cheering woke me up." Josie sleepily mumbles, still unamused at being woken up in such a way.

Penelope sets the tray of food at the end of the end before dramatically falling into the space beside Josie and mumbling about the wolves trying to steal all the breakfast. She rolls over and leans against the headboard, throwing the small bit of blanket Josie doesn't have almost wrapped around her over her legs.

"I see Monsieur Emile kept you company while I was gone." Penelope smiles, nodding to the frog.

Josie hugs the frog impossibly tighter and nods as she yawns widely. Loud wake up calls are something Josie does not handle well. Which is why she's smashed at least 3 alarm clocks in the past year and a half.

"How do you feel after some sleep?" Penelope asks, gently placing her hand on Josie's knee.

"I don't know. A little better I guess." 

Penelope hears the uncertainty in her voice, but can tell she doesn't feel up to talking so quickly changes the subject.

"I wasn't sure what you'd be wanting for breakfast, but this was the best those damn wolves left." She says gesturing to the tray. 

The wolves did leave some stuff, but not alot Josie likes. Penelope managed to grab a few sandwiches, a bowl of fruit for each of them, and the last 2 bottles of chocolate milk because Josie deserves it after everything she's been through. Josie goes straight for the fruit while Penelope digs into the sandwiches.

A comfortable silence falls over them as they eat. Penelope glaces at the other witch every so often to make sure she's okay. Josie almost seagulls down her food, Penelope realizes neither of them had anything to eat since dinner the day before. Which was earlier than usual, around 4:30pm, for the sake of everyone having time to get ready for the twins party.

The silence is interrupted by a note flying under the door and landing on the bed in front of them both. Penelope groans, hoping they would've had some quiet today because Josie is clearly still tired.

Penelope picks it up, immediately recognizing Dr. Saltzman's handwriting. Assuming it's for Josie, she wordlessly hands it over and goes back to the last few bites of food she has left.

Josie lets out a deep sigh after reading it. Penelope just gives her a questioning look.

"My dad wants me to go to my room in half an hour. And Jo is there too." Josie says in a worried tone.

"It'll be fine. After last night your dad wouldn't let you near Jo if she was dangerous." Penelope reassures her. Josie simply nods in response as she yawns once again.

Penelope looks around her room, clearly thinking hard about about something. Josie simply waits patiently to see if Penelope is going to tell her what she's thinking about.

"I think I still have a pair of your sweatpants hidden somewhere. You can't exactly wander the halls in just a hoodie." Penelope says hopping off the bed and digging around in a couple drawers.

"How much of my stuff did you keep?" Josie asks, laughing for the first time today. 

"Uhhhhhh, whenever i sort this place out I'll let you know." Penelope laughs gesturing to the mess her dorm is in. Or as she prefers to call it, organized chaos. But to Josie it's just mess. Definitely not as messy as some dorms. 

The wolves are the worst. Penelope thinks the wolves are just pests for the most part. Always loud and obnoxious, leaving a mess in their path, they think they rule the place. Penelope wishes she could go to a school without wolves. But that would mean leaving Josie, and that's something she never wants to do.

Unsuccessful in her hunt through her drawers, she moves to the closet. After a minute or two of digging she pulls out a pair of sweatpants that match the hoodie Josie has on. She holds them up, smiling triumphantly. Josie simply smiles and shakes her head fondly.

She throws them over to Josie who miserably fails at catching them and winds up with them hanging over her face. Penelope doubles over laughing as she hears Josie let out an unamused huff.

As Penelope's laughter calms down, Josie reluctantly leaves the warmth of the bed to get dressed.

"Do you want me to walk you to your room?" Penelope asks.

Josie only nods in response, her thoughts almost overwhelming her as she worries about the possibilities of everything going wrong. She doesn't know why Jo attacked her and there's no denying she's scared it'll happen again.

Penelope places her hand on Josie's arm to get her attention. "You ready for whatever this is?"

"Nope. But I doubt I have much choice." Josie sighs.

"You'll be okay. I won't let anything hurt you." 

Penelope gives Josie another moment to attempt to get her thoughts under control before gently taking her hand and leading her out the room before someone comes looking for them.

They walk through the halls in silence. Josie clinging to Penelope's hand, that being the only thing preventing her thoughts from completely overwhelming her. As they get closer to the twins room Josie's grip on Penelope's hand tightens.

Having Penelope beside her is the only thing keeping her somewhat calm. On the one had she knows her dad wouldn't let her near Jo again if there was any danger. But at the same time, these malivore monsters are unpredictable, it could easily be a trick. 

As they arrive outside the room, the door is half open and they can see Jo and Alaric talking quietly. Penelope notices how emotional they both look and assumes this is a family matter. But before she gets a chance to say bye to Josie, Jo notices them outside and asks them to come in.

Out the corner of her eye, Penelope can see Lizzie glaring at her and at the way her sister is clinging to her. Penelope is less than in the mood for Lizzie, so she simply avoids the blonde witches gaze. 

"You must be Penelope Park?" Jo says, looking to the raven haired witch.

"Uh, yeah?" 

"I'm Jo, Josette. I imagine Josie has probably already told you who I am?" 

"Yeah, a little bit. How do you know who I am?" Penelope asks, becoming more confused each passing second.

"Ric told me about you and Josie. I recognized your eyes." Jo says with a soft smile, but that does nothing to satisfy Penelope's curiosity. "Apparently Josie could ramble on about you and your magic, emerald eyes for hours." Jo finishes with a small laugh.

"Oh my god why." Josie mumbles, hiding her face against Penelope's shoulder. Penelope turns bright red at the comment making Jo laugh a little, and Penelope is even surprised to see Dr. Saltzman smiling a little.

"Penelope, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Jo asks.

Penelope is even more confused now, but simply nods. She turns to Josie, telling her she's welcome to come back to her room whenever she wants before saying goodbye. With that she leaves, with Jo following behind.

Jo closes the door and thinks of what to say for a moment, eventually deciding to get straight to the point.

"You love Josie. Don't you?" She asks bluntly.

Penelope is of course caught of guard and struggles to think of a reply. But her face says everything Jo wants to know.

"I assume she stayed in your dorm last night?"

"Yeah. To be honest I'm surprised she took me up on the offer. I expected her to say no."

"What happened last night, after...y'know?" Jo asks, guilt flooding her voice.

"Not much. I helped her clean the dirt off, then I healed her injuries. Then we went to sleep." Penelope shrugs.

"She's lucky to have you."

"Last night probably didn't mean anything. By tomorrow she'll go back to calling me 'Evil One' and 'She Who Shall Not Be Named' and whatever else her and Lizzie come up with." Penelope replies sadly.

"Yes you hurt her. But she doesn't hate you. I asked about last night to see how she really feels about you."

"Last night her judgement was probably clouded by fear."

"Penelope Park. She chose to be with you over anyone after almost dying. You seem like a smart girl, and trust me I've met my fair share of idiots to know when someone is smart. But there is something staring you in the face, and for some reason you're refusing to see it." 

Penelope is speechless. There's no way Josie would still care about her. But Jo does make a good point.

"How do you know so much?" Penelope asks after a few seconds.

"I just do. A mother knows." Jo says with a hint of pain her voice. Penelope assumes from never having the chance to raise the twins and truly be called their mother.

"Can I ask you to do something for me?" Jo asks cautiously. Penelope nods, becoming more confused as the conversation goes on.

"Look after Josie, without hiding in the shadows and doing things behind her back. I'm not asking you two to get back together. But if she is to survive past 22 then, as ironic as this may sound, she needs a friend like you by her side to help guide her." 

"But-"

"Don't you dare say that she doesn't want you around. I saw the way she was clinging to you earlier, she was reluctant to let you go." Jo says with a teasing smile.

Penelope sighs in defeat, knowing somehow Jo knows what's going on better than she does.

"I'll do what I can. I promise." Penelope replies sincerely.

"Thank you."

Without another word Jo wraps her arms around Penelope. The raven haired witch tenses at first because she was not expecting a hug, but quickly realizes exactly where Josie's gentle hugs came from.

Just before Jo goes back in, she asks Penelope one last thing.

"I know you and Lizzie don't exactly like each other. But give her a chance? She has a good heart, she's just protective over her sister."

"No promises on it not getting one of us thrown across a room, but I'll try to be nice to her." Penelope says hoping Lizzie doesn't actually throw her across the room. Although she wouldn't be surprised.

Jo thanks her once again before giving her one last soft smile and going back into the twins room.

And with that, Penelope heads back to her own dorm hoping to be able to distract herself. She knows the only thing that'll be on her mind is Josie, but she has an essay she should've had finished 2 days ago that will hopefully keep her mind occupied. 

Before she gets started on her essay, Penelope clears away the plates from breakfast and takes them back down to the kitchen. A couple of her witch 'minions' ask her why she disappeared from the party the night before.

She considers telling them the truth, but at the same time that may raise too many questions about how Penelope feels about Josie. As far as everyone is aware, well with the exception of MG, Penelope is now just Josie's evil ex. Penelope hasn't told anyone she still has feelings for Josie, MG figured it out on his own.

Penelope simply dismisses the question with the most basic answer she can think of. She left because she didn't feel well. Thankfully they accept the answer and go back to what they were doing. Which, by what Penelope can see, appears to be gathering things for a prank. She pretends not to see anything, she's no snitch.

She keeps her head down, weaving through all the students running around the halls. She just wants to get back to her room as quickly as possible and get Josie off her mind.

An hour or so passes and Penelope finds herself sitting on her desk, feet up on the chair and her laptop balanced on her lap. She's got a notebook at one side, and sticky notes scattered on the other side. She never was the tidiest person when doing long essays.

Finally taking a moment to breathe after making a good start, she gets pulled out her thoughts by a quiet knock at the door. Quickly hopping off her desk and putting her laptop on the chair, she nearly runs over to the door. Not because she hopes it's a certain brunette, but also totally because she hopes it's a certain brunette.

She almost throws the door open, and is relieved to see Josie standing there. But instantly worries again when she notices the tear stains covering Josie's cheeks.

"What happened?" Penelope asks hesitantly.

Josie doesn't reply and just looks down to her hands, fiddling with a loose thread on her hoodie. Penelope waits patiently on Josie saying or doing something, not wanting to pressure the younger girl.

Taking a deep breath, Josie manages to gather her thoughts enough to mumble "She's gone."

Penelope immediately wants to hug Josie, but holds back. She doesn't want to overstep any boundaries, especially with Josie still choosing to be with her right now.

She opts for gently taking Josie's hand to at least let her know she's here. But before she can say anything, Josie almost collapses against her. 

Penelope wraps her arm around Josie's waist to keep her steady and pushes the door shut. She would just kick the door shut but she doesn't want it to slam and scare Josie again.

"Do you wanna sit down?" She asks quietly. Josie's only reply is a nod.

She gently leads Josie over to the bed and sits down. Josie instantly curls up leaning against the headboard, both arms clinging to Penelope's.

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to. But if you do, I'll listen." Penelope assures her.

Josie offers a small but grateful smile before resting her head on Penelope's shoulder and trying not to cry anymore.

Unfortunately, as Penelope expected, Josie quickly winds up breaking down in tears. Penelope wordlessly changes position and wraps both arms around Josie, who immediately leans her forehead against Penelope's chest. Penelope holds Josie tightly as her tears soak through the older witches hoodie. 

After a while Josie calms down. Penelope pulls away just enough to see Josie's face and wipe her tears away, the younger girl simply leans into her touch instantly feeling calmer.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but if you do I'll listen." Penelope says quietly.

Josie is quiet, trying to decide if she wants to talk about it or not. But before she can fully think about it, words start pouring out.

"Lizzie and I had to siphon out the magic that was keeping her alive. I shouldn't feel guilty, but we killed her and..." She pauses as she tries to think of what to say.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about. Witches are always taught about the natural order. You done the right thing." Penelope assures her.

Josie is quiet again, tears threatening to spill as she chokes out "Jo said the same thing. Just before she said she had found peace and has been watching over us this whole time."

"Then I guarantee she'll be watching over you right now, wanting you to be happy that you had that time with her."

"Do you really think so?" Josie asks, uncertainty filling her voice.

"Yes. I do."

Josie calms down more, the thought of Jo truly watching over her comforting her. She wishes she had more time with Jo, but knowing she's always going to be there gives her some sense of peace. 

Not knowing what else to say, Josie simply leans her head back against Penelope's chest. It still amazes her how safe Penelope can make her feel, even after everything. But truth be told, as much as she tried to, Josie never stopped caring about the raven haired witch.

As Penelope thinks over what Jo said to her, a realization hits her. She unintentionally gasps and quietly mumbles "So that's how she..." before trailing off. But she already caught Josie's attention.

"How she what?" Josie asks, her words muffled by Penelope's hoodie.

Penelope doesn't say anything for a moment, she never intended on saying anything out loud. She can't decide whether to tell Josie the truth or not. Perhaps she could tell Josie, just without going into too much detail? 

Many thoughts go through Penelope's mind before she takes a deep breath and says "She knew how much I still care about you." but hesitates. After another second of consideration she adds "And...why I broke up with you." 

Josie is still for a moment, that was the last thing she was expecting Penelope to say. She sits up and can see clearly that Penelope is concerned that she just said something wrong.

"How much do you still care?" Josie asks hesitantly.

"More than I could ever possibly put into words."

That leaves Josie speechless. She somewhat assumed Penelope still cared considering everything she's done for her since the night before. But Josie never thought Penelope cared about her to any large extent.

"I understand if you don't believe me-" Penelope starts.

"I do believe you. I don't want to trust you, I'm sure you know that. But I do." Josie cuts her off before taking a breath, unsure if she wants to ask the next question. "Why did you break up with me?"

Penelope looks away, looking everywhere except at the younger witch. She was expecting Josie to ask but that didn't stop her from hoping she wouldn't. She wishes she could tell Josie everything. Everything about the merge and why she acted the way she did. And most of all, she wishes she could tell Josie how she's so in love with her that it hurts not to be with her.

"I can't tell you. But one day you will understand why I did everything that I did." Is the answer she settles on.

Penelope can tell Josie was hoping for more of an answer.

She thinks for a moment before giving as much of an answer as she can right now. "One thing I can tell you now is that it broke my heart to hurt you the way I did. I never wanted to hurt you, I never want to see you hurt. I want to see you happy and living life to the fullest every single day."

Penelope quickly realizes she's close to crying and wipes her eyes on her sleeve before any tears can fall. She knows Josie will probably ignore her own feelings in favor of comforting Penelope if she starts crying so quickly changes the subject.

"I just had a thought you're going to hate." Penelope says with a small laugh.

Josie doesn't say anything but Penelope can see the confusion and worry in Josie's eyes.

"All your parents enjoy embarrassing you."

"Oh please don't remind me." Josie says, smiling properly the first time today.

"Jo earlier, and the day I met your mom and she told me some of your crazy childhood stories which your dad joined in on during dinner." Penelope continues.

"Please don't remind me of that. That was horrifying."

"It wasn't that bad. You were an adorable kid, as proven by the many pictures your mom showed me."

"Please stop talking." Josie mumbles, hiding her face in her hands.

But of course Penelope being Penelope doesn't stop.

They end up spending the rest of the day laughing over memories. Penelope teasing Josie about some of the stories Caroline shared about her the first time they met. 

At one point Penelope realized Jo had probably seen all the crazy stuff they got up to when they were together. Their disastrous first date, the time Penelope nearly broke her nose running around the halls away from Josie after stealing the last slice of Pizza and so much more. 

They talk all through dinner, with Josie nearly choking on her food as Penelope reminds her of the time they hid in a closet from Dr. Saltzman after they nearly got caught making out in an empty classroom.

Eventually they calm down and begin talking about anything and everything. Penelope can see Josie's mind is still stuck on Jo and everything that happened the day before, but talking seems to be helping prevent Josie's thoughts overwhelming her.

As it gets late their conversation is interrupted by a knock at the door. Penelope, not wanting to leave the comfortable spot she has on her bed, opens the door using magic to reveal a concerned looking Alaric.

"I just came by to check in, see how you were doing." He says looking to Josie.

"A little better I guess." Josie shrugs.

"Good. I'm glad." He says sighing with relief before turning to Penelope. "I'm not going to lie Penelope, you are the last person I would've expected Josie to spend time with right now. But thank you. Thank you for saving her last night and for every moment after. Without you my daughter may not be alive right now. I owe you." He says sincerely.

"You don't owe me anything. Josie being safe is all I care about." 

Alaric is surprised by what Penelope says, but doesn't add any more to the subject knowing he will become far too emotional at the thought of losing his daughter as well as losing Jo again.

"I didn't realize how late it is." He says quickly changing the topic after quickly glancing at Penelope's clock. "I'll leave you both to rest." 

He turns to leave but just before he closes the door he turns back to Josie, "Also Emma wants to talk to you tomorrow, just whenever you feel up to it she'll be waiting. And she may want to speak to you too Penelope."

Penelope simply offers a quick nod while Josie yawns widely. Alaric leaves without another word and Penelope turns her attention back to Josie.

"You're still exhausted aren't you?" She asks brushing a few stray strands of hair out of Josie's eye.

"Is it that obvious?" Josie jokes.

Penelope shakes her head fondly and pulls the blanket over them both. Josie immediately curls up against Penelope's side, falling asleep almost instantly.

Penelope isn't quite tired enough to sleep yet, and not being able to sleep leads to alot of thinking. She can't quite wrap her mind around how insane the past day and a half has been. And even more so, she can't fully comprehend that the girl she loves more than anything is curled up against her sleeping peacefully. 

She wishes a moment like this would happen under far better circumstances, but she will happily accept every moment she gets to spend with the younger witch. Every moment means the world to her knowing that when Josie turns 22 she may never get the chance again. 

But that's a thought for another day. For now she is just glad Josie is safe, and she intends to keep her safe as best as she can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay ngl alot of this chapter was written between midnight and 4am because that's been most of my spare time recently. So none of it is as good as it could be, and for that I am sorry.  
The mention of Caroline embarrassing Josie by telling Penelope stories about little Josie? I've actually been planning on making a one shot out of that for a while.  
And the disastrous first date? Yup I'm writing Posies first date too. They're both adorable disasters.  
Also, the mention of Penelope's broken heater in the previous chapter? I may do something with that too.  
I want to write alot more of what Posie could've been like together. So look out for all that if you're interested.
> 
> Thank you to everyone has read this!!! I hope you all liked it!  
Happy New Year!!

**Author's Note:**

> I am not kidding when I say I have been working on this since the end of March maybe start of April and I'm so glad to finally have it out. Definitely won't take that long for chapter 2 and 3 to come out.


End file.
